Apparatus for gasifying liquids



E. H. CUYLER AND M. B. PATTESON.

APPARATUS FOR GASIFYING LIQUIDS. APPLICATION FILED JULY 2, 1919.

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Patented Apr. 13, 1920.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

' EDWARD H. CUYLER AND MARK B. PAT'IESON, 0]? LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOBS, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE PACIFIC R 80 H CHEMICAL CORPORATION, OF LOS ANGELES. CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF CALI- FOBNIA.

Specification of Letters Ratent.

Patented Apr. 13, 1920.

Original application filed August 9, 1918, Serial No. 249,060. Divided and this application filed July 2, 1919. Serial No. 808,251.

producing gas to be used 'for the fumigation of trees and other purposes.

This application is a division of our copendin application Serial No. 249,060, filed in the nited States Patent Ofiice on August a, 1918.

An object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for gasifying or vaporizing liquids by which definite measured quantities of gas may be produced.

Another object of the invention is to provide a portable apparatus for gasifying or vaporizmg liquid hydrocyanic acid.

The invention possesses other advantageous features, some of which, with the foregoing, will be set forth at length in the following descri tion, where we shall outline in full, that orm of the invention which we have selected for illustration in the drawin'gs accompanying and forming part of the present specification. In said drawings we have shown one specific form'of-our generic invention, but it is to be understood that we do not limit ourselves to such form, since the invention, as expressed in the claims, may be embodied in other forms.

The present apparatus is particularly adapted to be used in the production of hydrocyanic acid gas from liquid hydro-- cyanic acid, forthe fumigation of citrus trees, but it is obvious that it may be employed for the production of other gases for the same or other purposes. We desire to have it understood, that in all cases,

wherein reference is made to liquid hydrocyanic acid, we mean either the hydrous or the anhydrous li uid, both of which it is' possible to manu acture, although the hydrous liquid is the only one now available in large quantities. In such tree fumigating' operation, the tree is covered with a tent or.

other suitable covering, and anamount of hydrocyanic acid gas is introduced under the tent. The amount of gas required for the 'does not produce desired results.

proper treatment of diii'erent trees varies and means are provided for producing definite dosages of gas for different trees. An excess of gas produces a deleterious effect on the tree and an insuflicient amount of as he amount of gas required for the proper treatment of trees of dilierent size has been de-' termined and with the apparatus of our invention, the exact amount required may be produced.

The accompanying drawing is an elevation, partly in section, of one form of apparatus of our invention.

The apparatus of our invention comprises a tank or reservoirv for the liquid hydrocyanic acid, means for withdrawing definite predetermined charges of liquid from the tank and means for vaporizing the liquid and discharging it under the tent covering the tree.

y In the construction shown, the liquid hydrocyanic acid is contained in the tank 2,

whence it flows through the pipe 3, containing the valve d and the strainer 5, to the three-way valve 6, arranged at the bottom of the measuring cylinder 7. Arranged in the pipe 3 below the strainer is an indicator comprising a short length of glass tubing 9 in the cylinder 7 and forming a ti ht sliding joint with the packing glan 12 at the upper end thereof, is a plunger 13, which is provided on its upper end with a handle 14: for raising it to the desired position.

Arranged on the end of the tank,- in close relation to the. path of the plunger, is a rotatable measuring rack 15 provided with four sets of slots 16, corresponding to gas,

dosages of various strengths. Extending horizontally from the upper end of the plunger is a pin 17 adapted to engage in the slots in the measuring rack, to predetermine the charge of liquid which may be introduced into the cylinder. The slots on the 22, preferably of the four racks have diiferent spacings, and by rotating the rack, any desired dosage, with- -in small limits, may be obtained.

It is essential that the charge contained within the cylinder be practically equal to the charge indicated on the measuring rack,

because frequently a variation of one ounce of liquid in the required charge results in the failure of the fumigating operation. F urther, many trees requires a charge of only one ounce of liquid and the apparatus must be constructed to measure accurately to this small quantity and means must be provided for ejecting the entire charge measured, from cylinder, These conditions produce difiiculties which are overcome in the present construction.

In the construction shown, the plunger 13 is smaller in diameter than the internal diameter of the cylinder 7, providing a clearance space around the plunger, and the charge in the-cylinder is ejected by in-. troducing air under pressure into the upper part of the clearance space. The volume of this clearance space, W on the plunger is depressed, should not begreater than the volume of one ounce of liquid and the width of such clearance space should be such that the liquid is not held,therein by capillary attraction When the air is introduced into the cylinder for ejecting the liquid. The scale on the measuring rack is calibrated to take account of the liquid in the clearance .space.

Means are provided for producing air under pressure which is introduced intoa the upper part of the cylinder for forcing the liquid therefrom and which is employed for atomizing the liquid ejected. An air pump hand-operated type is connected to the upper end of the cylinder, through the pipe 23. It is advantageous to introduce the air with as uniform a flow as possible and for that reason, the pump 22 is preferably of the double-acting type, although a sin le-acting pump and an air chamber may used.

In order to. insure the complete filling of .the clear space in the cylinder with liquid, so

that the charge therein will correspond to the charge indicated on the measuring rack, means are provided for discharging the air and vapor entrapped in the cylinder. Connected to the three-way valve 19in the pipe 23 is a pipe 21 through which the entrapped air and vapors flow into the tank 2, as the cylinder is filling with liquid. The threewayvalve 19 is connected to the valve 6 by the link 18 so that the motions of the two valves are synchronous. The valve ports are so disposed that when valve 6 is open to permit an inflow of liquid, valve 19 is open to permit the discharge of the entrapped air and vapor, and that when valve 6 is f positioned to permit discharge of the liquid,

the valve 19 is positioned to permit the inflow of air from the pump into the top of the cylinder.

In operation, the plunger is raised and held in the desired position of elevation by engagement with the measuring rack, and the valve 6 is turned to permit the charge of liquid to flow into the cylinder. VV-hen the cylinder is charged, the valve is turned to cut off further fiowof liquid from the tank and to establish communication between the cylinder and the conduit 8. The pump is then operated to cause the liquid to be ejected from the cylinder.

The liquid discharges from the cylinder into the vaporizer or gasifier 27, which in the present construction comprises a coil of pipe 28 to which heat is applied for the purpose of vaporizing or gasifying the liquid. The coil may be heated in ,any suitable manner. and the heat may be applied directly to the coil or the coil may be immersed in a heated liquid. In the present construction, the vaporizer consists of a closed receptacle in which the coil 28 is disposed. The receptacle is filled or partly filled with water or other liquid, which is heated by the burner 31 arranged below the bottom of the receptacle. By heating the liquid hydrocyanic acid, vaporization is accelerated and assured, and the possibility of the dischar e of liquid under the tent is obviated. rom the vaporizer or gasifier, the vapor or gas passes through a conduit 29 to the tree.

We claim:

1. An apparatus for vaporizing liquid hydrocyanic acid, comprising a tank adapted to contain a quantity of such liquid, a receptacle into which hquid passes from said tank, a plunger in said receptacle adapted to be moved to vary the volume thereof, a measuring rack associated with said plunger to indicate the volume of the receptacle, and means for introducing air under pressure into said receptacle to eject the liquid therefrom into a vaporizer-wherein heat is added to the liquid until it is vaporized.

2. An apparatus for vaporizing liquid hydrocyanic acid comprising a tank adapted to contain a quantity of said liquid, a cylinder into which liquid flows from said tank, a lunger in said cylinder for varying the vo ume thereof, a measuring device associated withsaid plunger to indicate the volume of the cylinder, and means for introduc ng air under pressure into the cylinder to e ect the liquid therefrom into a vaporizer wherein heat is added to the liquid until it is vaporized. V

3. An apparatus for vaporizing liquid hydrocyanic acid comprisin a tank adapted to contain a quantity of sai liquid; a cylinder into which liquid flows from said tank, a plunger lIl'SfllCl cylinder for varying the chamber of suitable dimensions into which the liquid hydrocyanic acid passes and-to which the heat is applied.

4. An apparatus for vaporizing liquid hydrocyanic acid comprising a tank adapted to contain a quantity of said liquid, a cylinder into which liquidflows from said tank, a plunger havin I a passage therethrough fitted into said cy inder and movable to vary the volume of said cylinder, a stationary tube having a sliding fit in said passage, and means for introducing air under pressure into said tube to eject the liquid from the cylinder into a vaporizer consisting of a source of heat, and a set of pipe coils of suitable dimensions into which the liquid hydrocyanic acid passes and to which heat is applied.

5. An apparatus for vaporizing liquid hydrocyanic acid comprising a tank adapted to contain a quantity of said liquid, a cylinder into which liquid flows from said tank, a plunger havin a passage therethrough fitted into said cy inder and movable to vary the volume of said cylinder, a stationary tube having a sliding fit in said passage, and

means for introducing air under pressure into said tube to eject the liquid from the cylinder through a vaporizer wherein heat is transmitted to the liquid so that it is completely vaporized.

6. An apparatus for vaporizing liquid hydrocyanic acid comprising a tank adapted to contain a quantity of the liquid, means for withdrawing definite, predetermined amounts of liquid from the tank, and means for heating the withdrawn liquid to vaporization.

7. An apparatus for vaporizing liquid hydrocyanic acid comprising a tank adapted to contain a quantity of the liquid, means for withdrawing definite, predetermined amounts of liquid from the tank, a heater, and means for propelling the withdrawn liquid into the heater.

8. An apparatus for vaporizing liquid hydrocyanic acid comprising a tank adapted to contain a quantity of said liquid, a receptacle for receiving a predetermined amount of liquid from said tank, a heater, and means for discharging the liquid from the receptacle into said heater.

9. An apparatus for vaporizing liquid hydrocyanic acid comprising a tank adapted to contain a quantity of said liquid, a receptacle for receiving a predetermined amount of liquid from said tank, means for introducing air under pressure into said receptacle to expel the liquid therefrom, and a heater into which the expelled liquid discharges.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto set our-hands at Los Angeles, California, this 25th day of June, 1919.

EDWARD H. CUYLER. MARK B. PATTESON.

In presence of WM. KENNEDY, E. A. BENNrsoN. 

